RamView: Week 15 – Part 1

RamView, December 20, 2009
From Row HH
(Report and opinions on and from the game.)
Game #14: Texans 16, Rams 13

There once was a team from St. Lou
That was hit with a case of swine flu
After a week’s worth of vexin’
They got beat by the Texans
But they’ll get to draft Ndamukong Suh.

* QB: If you were to argue that Keith Null (18-27-173, 81.2 rating) lost the game today, I’d have a hard time refuting it, due to two costly turnovers. After the defense turned Houston over in the 1st, Null led the offense’s opening possession across midfield before dropping a snap from center, which blew the timing of a scheduled handoff to Steven Jackson. Null still tried the handoff, but Jackson didn’t look ready for it anymore, and Mario Williams recovered the gaffe to set up a Houston FG. Many areas of Null’s game are developing, but one that regressed was the simple exchange from center, as he put two or three snaps on the ground today. That’s an issue Null had better get a grip on quickly. Null’s other huge error was an interception early in the 3rd. Coming as it did from the Houston 25, it cost the Rams at least 3 points, and the Texans would score 7 for themselves off the turnover. Trying to avoid a sack from Antonio Smith, Null fired while going down and was picked off by Dominique Barber. With experience, Null will learn that eating that ball would have been better there. I won’t rip Null for those plays like I would if Marc Bulger or Kyle Boller committed them, because those two veterans should know better and execute better. And Null’s just trying to make a play both times. He’s trying to get the ball in Jackson’s hands on the fumble, certainly a good thought. He appeared to have Ruvell Martin open on the INT; he just needed to remember at that moment that he isn’t Brett Favre. Null continues to hang tough in the pocket. He’ll stand back and make throws at times where you’d see Bulger cringing for impact, or Boller scrambling off with unpredictable, mostly not good, results. Null’s got the team behind him. You can see he cares out there. The defense sees it, too. They were all tapping Null on the helmet, promising to pick him up after the INT. (They didn’t.) The coaches’ confidence in Null has already increased. He got to try a couple of long balls; one barely too long, one pretty underthrown. They had him throwing on 4th-and-1 in Ram territory right before the INT. Null hasn’t developed killer rapport with one receiver yet, but he’s hit nine different guys in both of his starts so far. One INT today is certainly an improvement over last week’s five. I didn’t see all the double-clutching he did last week, either. A lot of what’s good about Null’s game comes because he gets the ball out quickly. He’s accurate on the short stuff. He can get throws off with a man in his face. The offense had good rhythm a lot of the day. There was just one 3-and-out, the inevitable Ram post-halftime fizzle. Null’s head is always in the game. He set up the 3rd-quarter tying FG with an 18-yard completion to Brandon Gibson and a 20-yarder to Randy McMichael, a play he audibled to. Keith Null may not be NFL starter-quality yet, but he’s progressing. He’s passed Boller on the depth chart, mine anyway, and ought to get the Rams’ last two starts. He’s done enough right in two starts to transform whatever the Rams have been planning at QB next year, because that plan certainly ought to include him by now.